THE business community in Canterbury is giving a cautious welcome to a street traders' licensing scheme in the hope it will drive out illegal peddlers.

The council has been wrestling with the problem of peddlers in the city centre for years and has decided to offer selected pitches for traders who meet certain criteria.

Up to 15 locations will be marked in the pedestrian area and traders will have to sell approved goods from 'classy-looking' barrows and stalls.

The pilot scheme has been devised by the authority's commercial health manager, Roger Vick who used evidence gathered from a similar operation by Westminster City Council.

The City Centre Partnership, which includes many of the major retail bosses, say it is prepared to give the project a chance.

Chairman Nick Betts explained: "This is an attempt to deal with the problem of illegal street traders and we hope there will be no conflict between it and the retailers.

"We do not consider it to simply be an extension of the market and our concerns about the quality of the goods that might be on sale have been allayed."

Mr Betts said the council would continue to consult with the business community regularly on how the scheme was performing.

But not everyone is convinced and insurance broker Danny Cooper said that Canterbury was at risk of becoming a glorified theme park.

He said: "There is cheap tat on stalls, whether it be in the market or via the peddlers. I can't see how an extension of the market is going to raise the quality of visitor to Canterbury."